


Seafoam Green, As the Tide Changes

by Lettuce_And_Teamwork



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: F/F, Mostly Mabifica, expect inconsistencies in writing style, ill try and keep this as consistent as i can, it's an old work of mine, lavish descriptions of mermaid society, loosely, loosely based off of the little mermaid, mentions of ford in this one probably, the northwests are pretentious af, wrote it way before meeting Ford and stuff so...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-04
Updated: 2015-12-04
Packaged: 2018-05-04 22:24:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5350628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lettuce_And_Teamwork/pseuds/Lettuce_And_Teamwork
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pacifica Northwest, a mermaid who accepted her fate as a northwest and as a trophy wife for whichever merman her parents betrothed her to, has turned 16 and is finally allowed to visit the surface for the first time. She wanted a taste of freedom before everything goes to hell. </p><p>Luckily, fate had other plans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. FML By Pacifica Northwest

**Author's Note:**

> This has been a draft of a fanfic i had WAY before the ford bomb dropped. i found it again and i thought that maybe some of you would want to see this. I managed to get to chapter 3 until i left it so...
> 
> if anyone wants me to pick this up again, don't be afraid to let me know in the comments below. In my honest opinion, there needs to be a little more love in the mabifica tag.

          Pacifica Northwest lied awake on her sleeping rock inside the Northwest Palace, which was a huge cave that was chiseled by many mermen to give it it's distinct shape. She never exactly knew of the tragedy behind the creation of the Palace, knowing only that many mermen died to build it. She heard that it was from a volcano eruption, a hungry shark, or they were murdered. Whichever it was, it was tragic and probably the fault of her ancestors. She sighed, sending a couple of bubbles towards the upper surface of her room. It was only minutes away before she turned 16 and she was waiting for the moon to pass overhead her room. There was a small skylight that helped tell her the time, all homes under the sea do. As of now, it was nearing the center which means it was almost midnight.

 

          She swam daintily and silently around her room, sending streaks of bio-luminescent light from her fingertips, freckles and fins. They were the most amazing shade of green, almost teal. Her room was fancy for a mermaid's room. It was decorated with many, many white shells and corals with hints of pink here and there. A few blue bio-luminescent algae gently lit up the room, allowing her to see where she was going. Sometimes, she would find a stray hermit crab who would take one of the shells. Her parents always fussed over the missing decorations but she honestly didn't mind. It was one of the reasons why her parents think something was wrong with her.

 

          Her thoughts drifted to her 16th birthday and her duties as the Princess of their small kingdom. She didn't show it but deep inside se was nervous and completely worried. It was like she didn't want to turn 16 after all. I mean, would you? If you were trained to become a perfect porcelain doll to be married off to a snobbish suitor just so your parents would benefit you definitely wouldn't be. Her father's words echoed inside her head. "you're a northwest, start acting like one". She curled up to the ground and sighed, sending bubbles towards the ceiling. It was bad enough that she didn't get any freedom or allowed to have fun on her own, it was even worse that she wasn't even allowed to act like herself in front of other people. Her parents forced her to "be perfect" and "look better" and "never fail".

 

          She dreaded the moment after the moon began to sink and signal the start of a new day. It meant attending the parties she dreaded. It meant going to meet possible suitors even though she doesn't want to get married at all. It meant agreeing with her predestined fate of being a northwest. It meant that she was supposed to be as power hungry or greedy as her parents are. It meant a lot of things, most of them bad. "well, look on the bright side. It's tradition for mermaids to be allowed to look at the surface world once they hit sixteen. Maybe I can finally know what the surface world is like." she thought to herself, hopefully looking up at the skylight. She looked down and slowly saw the moon move to the center of the room.

 

          She breathed slowly as her hopeful look slowly turned crestfallen, coming to terms with the fact she's already sixteen. She sighed sadly and returned to her sleeping rock, dreading the morning to come. She barely got any sleep that night for fear of what awaited her in the morning.

 

          She woke up the next morning, facing the mirror in her room. It was a prize from a shipwreck that her mother bought at the local fair. She stated at it and looked at herself. Her sea green eyes looked tired while her freckles were nowhere to be seen, giving her pale white skin. Her hair floated around her, blonde as the sand on the ground. She decided to wear different clothing from the one she wore yesterday. Mermaids don't really need clothing, they often don't wear anything to cover their chests, it was just a sign of status or for special occasions. Soldiers wore some protective gear that's light but also sturdy. Socialites, like her mother, liked to wear free-flowing types of cloth that trailed behind them when they swam as well as human ornaments. She even heard that mermaids from foreign parts even wore clam shells as to mimic clothing when they don't have cloth to wear.

 

          She wore her favorite piece of clothing, a light green bodice that had a sea blue cloth trail behind her. She rapidly swam outside her room and into the hallways, blue trailing behind her. The maids and butlers gave her their regards and she thanked them once she was sure her parents couldn't see her. She swam past the ballroom and hid. Taking a deep breath, she composed herself and faked a smile. She was sure that she was dead if they saw her with a frown or an upset face. Elegantly as she could, she swam inside the ballroom.

 

          The ballroom was decorated fancily, with many different objects from her parents' collection. "Well, if it's a collection they're showing off, I guess it wouldn't be complete without me" she thought as she approached her parents. "Good morning father and mother." she said politely, making them whip their heads towards her. "Pacifica, Dear!" her mother exclaimed, donning a smile that's as fake as the pearls on her neck. Apparently, it was becoming popular to take false pearls from the trunks that sank from the upper world. Pacifica fought the urge to roll her eyes. "How's our precious little birthday girl, hm? Excited for the party?" Preston Northwest, her father and the king of their small kingdom, asked with a lot of enthusiasm. She knew it wasn't because of her turning sixteen, it was because of the prospective suitors she would have. "Yes, father. What should I wear for the party?" she mused, looking around the ballroom. The maids and butlers really outdid themselves this year, the thought to herself. "Well, the theme for this party is 'Northwest Pride'. Go dress up in something that we'll all be proud of, okay dear? Party begins an hour before midnight. Do whatever you what to do, just as long as you dress properly and arrive on time." her mother said, turning around to boss whatever poor maid took the orange shells instead of the purple ones. "Yes, mother." she said meekly, looking away and swam into her room.

 

          She immediately took off her bodice and tied up her hair into something short to make herself unrecognisable. She made herself look as not-royal as possible, which was surprisingly easy. She glanced into the mirror, looking at her tied-up hair and unclothed chest. She decided that it will have to do, after all she's just going to visit the elders and maybe explore a bit. It wasn't like she was going to get herself killed or have a royal visit or anything. She took an empty bag and stealthily swam off outside the palace and into the nearby village.

 

          Inside the village, nobody took notice of her. They were too busy setting up for the celebration. Despite the townsfolk not liking the northwests for being too greedy and cocky, they admitted that it was tradition to celebrate the young girl's birthday. After all, sixteen was a very special age to be. It was the age when they were allowed to go to the surface and see the upper world for themselves. It was also the age when they were allowed to get married and other legal stuff. She swam past the merchants and the crazy merman who was always talking about shapes and eyes. They were sure he had an encounter with an anglerfish and it scarred him for life.

 

          She swam past the village and ended up on the outskirts of town, near the elders' cave. She announced her arrival before entering the eerie-looking cave. She saw the elders, old mer-matrons who would pass on advice to the young mermaids who dared to visit them. "hello, young northwest.... We have all been expecting you..." they said, in that strange raspy voice, sending a chill down Pacifica's spine. "hello, elders. I would uh... I'd like to ask what's in store for me." she requested nervously as the elders whispered in a circle. They all turned to her and beckoned her to come closer, beginning to glow a myriad of colors inside the dark caverns. She swam towards them and sat on a rock while the elders began to sing.

 

"girl of sea foam, your future is bright.

There is a solution for your troublesome plight.

Remove your tail, remove your fins,

Only then will the solution begin.

 

Girl of sea foam, there is trouble in your heart.

Once midnight draws, only then the wheels begin to start.

It will strike you, like a poisoned Dart.

A love so sweet and so tart.

 

Girl of sea foam, there is trouble near,

Something that threatens the one you hold dear.

Dealing with it would be a pain in the rear,

But it must be something you do, despite all your fear"

 

          They finished their song and settled down. Pacifica looked confounded. "I don't mean to disrespect elders but... Can't you be more specific?" she requested politely. "you know the rules, little Pacifica. Only three stanzas to be heard per year." the oldest, Ettina, said. "but... Why?" Pacifica asked, gently being escorted to the outside of the cave. "it's just the way it's been." The youngest elder at the age of only 30, Calypso, scoffed, gently pushing Pacifica towards the exit. "now come on, you're going to be late for an important date" Ettina scolded, hurrying her out of the cave. "but the party isn't even for hours!" she reasoned, turning her head back to watch the old mer-matrons urge her outside the cave. "either way, off you go, young'un" the elders said simultaneously, shoving her outside of the cave and making her do a somersault.

 

          She scowled and turned back, looking ready to give them a piece of her mind. She took a deep breath and sighed. "well, since they were so insistent on getting me out of that damn cave, might as well kill time until the party..." she muttered bitterly and went off to explore the ocean.


	2. Cog in the Machinery

          Pacifica swam back to the village as fast as she could. She didn't think that she would be late to her own party. At least, hopefully not. She didn't like to think of the scolding she'll receive from her parents. "they'll probably start complaining about how I'm such a mess or how much I need to be a northwest and yadda yadda yadda" she thought, speeding past the townsfolk until she reached the backside of the palace. She immediately zipped past the maids and butlers, hoping that her parents didn't see her unladylike behavior as she couldn't see due to how fast she was swimming.

 

          Once she reached her room, she almost crashed into a wall. She leaned on it and sighed in relief. She immediately swam towards the mirror to asses how she looked. "mother would kill me if I showed up like this..." she muttered under her breath. Her neatly tied up hair was bundled up with various debris and dead coral, her face looked ragged from swimming around as fast as she could, and her arm had a bruise from a violent bump early on. She immediately assessed her closet for a fitting dress. Rummaging through the clothing she had, she picked up a nice reddish bodice as some hand tube things to cover up her arms. She took the nearest comb and began brushing her hair, removing the stowaway debris in it. She took some tiny starfish and placed them gently on her fins. She had to beg her mother to not give her piercings, popular fashion statement copied from the surface world. It was a stupid fad, why would hurt themselves just to look temporarily pretty?

 

          Once she was satisfied with how she looked, she swam outside her room. She met her mother in one of the hallways leading to the ballroom. "ah, Pacifica, I've been searching everywhere! Come on. We'll be late. And to your own party, no less!" she fussed, greening her daughter's hand and forcefully dragging her to the ballroom. Pacifica winced at the claws that dug into her bruise but didn't dare speak up. Before they went into the ballroom, her mother fixed her own before helping Pacifica look ready for her party. Pacifica put on a smile and tidied herself up before entering the ballroom with her mother.

 

          After an obnoxious introduction, she was forced to socialize with a dozen foreign merpeople of her age. Some of them sounded bored, a few seemed to act a little forced, and a lot seemed as power hungry as her parents do. They sounded like dolphins, mimicking back what you say. Pacifica excused herself to go to outside when she accidentally bumped into Elder Calypso. "Hello, Dear. Excited to go and see the surface?" she teased, a twinkle in her eye. "Elder Calypso!" Pacifica exclaimed in relief and shock. "ugh, don't call me that. Makes me feel like a grandma. Call me Elder Cal instead." the Elder scoffed, eating some finger food from the plates that one of the butlers held. "are you going to officiate my... You know... Legal statuses?" Pacifica asked hesitantly. "I'm an elder. It's my duty. Besides, I have a feeling you'll like being sixteen in the long run." she reassured her, patting her back with a hand. "well, maybe. If I don't immediately get married off to a snob." Pacifica muttered pessimistically while Cal nodded in agreement. "mhm... Talk to you in the grounds at midnight. That's an order." Cal said, smirking playfully. "sure thing, Elder Cal." she said, bowing before swimming away to the outside of the palace.

 

          Once midnight came, the party finally ended. Once she removed her clothing, she was escorted by two of her maids to the garden. Apparently, the elders convinced her parents that she needed to take a look at the surface. "it's traditional" they reasoned while others reassured them that they'll bring back Pacifica in one piece. Nevertheless, the elder northwests allowed the elders to do as they pleased. Elder Cal was there, observing the corals and the seaweed as well as the seahorses that cling onto them. Cal raised her hand and waved Pacifica over to her side. She obediently swam to the empty space beside her. "alright, Paci. Can I call you Paci?" she chattered, Pacifica just awkwardly nodded. "good. Now, I'm going to help you adjust to the surface. It's not like down here. First, you're going to have to breathe through your mouth once you get out of the water. The air in the surface world is clearer than the air we breathe right now. Second, there will be lighter pressure. You're going to have to adjust yourself steadily to accustom yourself to the sea above, going up quickly makes merpeople incredibly dizzy. Third, humans can't breathe or stay underwater for too long. They don't have gills and can only breathe using their mouths and noses. In case you find one, pump their chest and breathe into their mouth until they cough up seawater." Cal lectured, making sure that Pacifica understood.

 

          "in other words; breathe through mouth, ascend slowly, humans need surface. Got it?" she summarized while Pacifica nodded. "great. Now, let's help you swim up." Cal said, smiling while they gently swam to the surface. It took a couple of minutes before they managed to get a few feet below water. Cal gently motioned for Pacifica to look above the water. Pacifica hesitated before swimming and reaching the surface. She immediately gasped for air through her mouth. She held up a hand to touch her hair which now lay flat against her neck. She felt a little lighter and began to let out a soft giggle which gently escalated into melodic laughter. "so this is what freedom feels like...." she thought, diving and rising repeatedly towards the surface like a flying fish. Cal observed the young mermaid frolic near the surface. She looked up tot he sky and noted that the time won't be long. She gently swam away and hid behind a rock to observe.

 

          Pacifica was swimming near the surface. "I could get used to this" she mused silently, gently splashing her tail and making it rain drops of seawater all around her. Suddenly, she heard a crash somewhere near her. She turned around and saw a strange vessel broken on a rock. There was strange brown coral that floated around it. It looked like one of the ships that she would see around the bottom of the sea, only smaller and less ornate. She swam towards it, silently but swiftly. While she neared it, however, she saw the faintest silhouette underwater, a fair distance away from where the vessel capsized. It seemed to be a human. A long haired human. She began to swim faster and stared at it's floating body.

 

          By the looks of it, the human seemed to be a girl. She had brown hair and a pretty face from what Pacifica could see with the moonlight and her glowing skin. She didn't glow like Pacifica did, neither did she have a tail, freckles that glow, nor fins. She didn't have any gills either, Pacifica fully noted. She stared at the human, only remembering that they couldn't breathe in the water when she saw bubbles floating towards the surface. It was only then that she panicked and took the human above the water and onto the surface. She searched for the nearest land or rock that she could lay the human. The only place that came to mind was the same rock that the vessel crashed on.She placed the human on the rock and she heaved herself up as well to face the human.

 

          "oh no, oh no, what do I do? What do I do? Come on, Pacifica, you're a northwest. You can do this." she said to herself in the lilting voice that merfolk have when they spoke. "what would mother or father do in this situation...?" the thought to herself, only to be greeted by an imagine spot where she lets the human drown. She groaned before remembering what Cal told her. She thought it was just some silly advice from an Elder but boy, did it come in handy this time around. She opened the girl's mouth and looked a little repulsed but she knew that this human was dependent on her being able to do this. So she began giving the human her breath and pumped her chest. Eventually, the human coughed up some seawater and weakly opened her eyes halfway. Pacifica stared into the human's eyes, noting that it was the same color as the tiny ship's coral, and her heart unwillingly skipped a beat. The human tried to sit up but Pacifica motioned her to keep still. The human girl tried to say something in her human language before falling asleep on the rock.

 

          While the human slept, Pacifica thought to herself. What would she do now? It wasn't as if the human could stay on the rock forever. They probably needed food to survive, most fish and merfolk do. Pacifica sighed as bubbled come from the surface and Cal popped her head up the water. She seemed to be visually exhausted. "Paci... Holy tuna... Don't ever run away like that... How are you... So fast..." she asked between gulps of air. Pacifica motioned to the human that was fast asleep on the rock. Cal sighed before muttering an "I knew this would happen" while heaving herself onto the spare space near the rock.

 

          "now what are you going to do?" she asked the teenager who was sill staring at the human. Pacifica shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know... I think we need to bring her someplace with land at least. That... That IS where they live, right?" Pacifica inquired, earning a nod of approval and a grin from the Elder. The Elder's head perked up and turned to the teenager. "youre a lot smarter than i gave you credit for. I'll help her get to land, want to come?" she asked the teen. Pacifica nodded fervently.

 

          Time passed as the two mermaids struggled to carry the human girl towards the sandy surface of her world. The moon was beginning to set on the horizon when they managed to set her down on the sand. As the Elder beckoned Pacifica to follow her, Pacifica stole a glance to look at the human girl one last time before diving into the cold waters. As the two mermaids neared the palace, Pacifica couldn't stop thinking about the human and the surface world. She wondered how it was like up there.

 

          And so, for the second night in a row, Pacifica Northwest couldn't sleep. She stared up at the skylight and thought about the human girl until the moon sank and the sun rose.


	3. Enter: The Brother

          Mabel Pines woke up on the warm sand, rays of light beating down at her. She immediately sat up and whipped her head around, trying to make sense of what happened and where she was. She thought about her twin brother, who was probably worried sick. She looked a little disoriented, trying to remember what happened last night. She remembered that she had a fight with her brother, something about the journal he kept. She clearly remembers that she rowed away into the sea to cool off then she hit a rock on the small boat she stole from her great uncle Stan. She swam up, trying to keep her head above water, until she could no longer swim upwards. She blamed all the rowing it took for her exhaustion.

 

          She remembered nearly drowning and seawater engulfing her, sending a shiver up her spine despite the hot sun. She remembered the color teal and the image of a... thing, neither human nor animal, invading her vision before everything went black. After that, she couldn't remember anything else. She felt like she was missing something, a crucial part in the story. She waved it off, thinking it probably wasn't hat important. She wondered how she got back to the shore, however. After all, she did nearly drown. She doubted it was sharks. She also doubted the possibility of fish swimming her to shore. She didn't dismiss the idea that some deity took pity on her, however. "Maybe a mermaid?" she thought to herself, standing up and stretching.

 

          "well, at least I'm at the beach. The shack isn't too far from here. I think. Hopefully." she said to herself, dusting herself. "any longer and I would've gotten sunburned..." she muttered to herself as she walked quickly towards the nearest shade. The sand burned her feet but she didn't mind it at all. She was too focused on trying to remember what happened last night. She remembered everything clearly, up until the point where she almost drowned. After that, she could only remember teal and black. She looked to the right, hearing her name being called by a voice like hers but deeper.

 

          "...bel!"

 

          "Dipper?" she hesitantly yelled, squinting to see her brother scanning the area. "Dipper!" She yelled a little louder this time, finally catching his attention. He turned towards the voice calling towards him and immediately ran towards his twin sister. "Mabel!" He yelled looking completely relieved as he ran to hug her. The two shared a tight hug, both happy to see the other. Dipper broke away from the hug to look at Mabel. He began to fuss over her completely.

 

          "are you okay? what happened? i thought you were dead, you didn't come back last night and i couldn't sleep so Grunkle Stan had to make me. i was so close to asking _him_ for help. _HIM_! of ALL people! where's the boat? please tell me nothing bad happened to you, mom and dad would kill me! and i'd hand them the weapon! do you know how worried i wa-"

          "Dip-dop i'm fine! see?" she reassured him, even twirling a bit. "the boat might not be but i'm okay. nobody's going to die." She said, clasping his hands in hers. "yeah but still.... you could've... and I wouldn't be able to tell you how sorry i was and i'd be forever known as a horrible brother and I'd miss you an-" Before he began to ramble, Mable put a finger on his lips to shush him. "Dipper. it's okay." She reassured for the 3rd time. "y-yeah.... i just... give me a moment..." He said, pushing her away gently before realizing what she said earlier. "wait. what was that about the boat? how did you end up here, then?" He asked rapidly. Mabel turned a light pink before coughing. 

 

          "iiiiii think i should tell you that later. once i get some food. i'm famished!" She declared, changing the subject. "you almost drowned and the first thing you ask for is food?" Dipper questioned, raising an eyebrow at the rapid change of topic. 

 

          "well, i was going for cupcakes but-"

 

          "food it is, then" He hurriedly answered, grabbing Mabel's hand. they both ran towards their distant uncle's shack, laughing joyously all the while.


End file.
